Someone who Creates Stories from the Paper: Nadia Radic

First, who is Nadia Radic? We want you to tell us about yourself.

I like to describe myself as an artist in a constant search. Photography had always accompanied me, but during the pandemic being isolated made me rethink my art approach. I have always been behind the camera, taking pictures or editing and somehow during the lockdown, I thought that I could continue exploring with digital collage. That is how I give shape to another artistic version of myself. To say that I am a "visual artist" would be to define myself completely. The truth is that you never know how a new passion can be born, and do it by discovering different tools, is something awesome.

What is collage art? Maybe there are some of our readers who do not know. Can you explain to us?

The word collage comes from the French word coller, which means "to glue", and applies to analog and digital collage. Picasso and Braque were the ones who captured this art through their works, intervening them with different materials, although it has been discovered that the Asian culture with the creation of paper already experimented with this art to write their poems, where they mixed papers and fabrics and that is what it is about, to mix, to combine, to play if you want with different materials to give life to the Collage.

How would you describe your art?

I work with digital collage in most of my works but I don't discard analog collage, the fact of cutting out different textures of papers and seeing where my mind takes me is at a therapeutic point, you really lose track of time, and although sometimes. When I sit down to create on my pc my mind plays the same way as when doing it with papers on a table, the difference is that a pc and the internet give us an infinity of material at our disposal and that's where the imagination can play.

I like to put on my digital canvas everything that contains a message because to me it what matters. I love to think that it is not just cut and paste, is also to leave a message, a thought, a feeling, that is art.

You create a world of your own by combining these tiny little things. When did you decide this? What attracted you?

Well, it was something a little forced but not in a negative way, on the contrary, I felt that something had been annulled for me which was photography, a way of seeing the world that I had already established, and I found that I could not stay with all my desire to continue expressing myself inside me. I had to continue showing the world my own universe, and little by little and in a very self-taught way I began to develop my first collages, looking for a style, and discovering a new form of expression that really made me feel liberated again.

You make collages, especially on women and men. Is this what you got the inspiration for? or love?

It is true that I make most of my collages based on humans beings, although I play with many elements around them, the human figure always prevails, clearly, it is the basis of my inspiration, but to be honest, I would say that they are fragments of these people, my theory is that we are all a fragment of ourselves and the experiences that we have throughout life complete us.

Who are your favorite collage artists? Are there people you draw inspiration from?

Adriana Bermudez is a graphic designer and collagist to whom I am infinitely grateful just for the fact that she exists! I was not inspired by her style to create but her knowledge, which is not little, was important. Then, if you dive into the universe of social networks there are hundreds of unknown artists and they really have works that are EXTRAORDINARY, this also allowed me to meet different artists who today are colleagues and friends of collage. I am an active member of a collective called Collagisticas (@collagisticas), their members are women from different parts of the world sharing the same passion.

Do you think art or craft is your priority? Because some artists are competing to put their work up for sale.

When I discovered this art I never thought I would be where I am now, that I would have this reach, or that I would be answering an interview, although I am grateful, it was not my priority in the beginning to establish it this way. It just happened over time, as I was learning to shape it I was discovering what limits I could pass but never the main goal was really to sell, the ideas that develop in my mind do it with the purpose of creating because I am passionate about doing it, working on an idea of mine or for someone else, it is not just the fact of creating to sell, the best expression would be to create for pleasure, where you feel that you do it because you are really passionate about it, what comes later, time will dispose of it.

How is this art generally viewed in your country?

Well, although it has a certain reach, it is not at its maximum level of popularity or boom. Here in Argentina visual art is always well received, and within it is the collage, so perhaps it is not seen everywhere but in specific places like art shows, or design fairs where there is always a space for the Collage.

Last thing you want to say?

Thank you for this worldwide cultural space! To finish this interview, I would like to say that everyone can immerse in this universe of college. During this period of my life I discovered that there are no secrets, there are as many ways of making art, we all have different points of view, and everyone creates with their own stamp. To finish I think that it is important to mention that collage is so friendly that there is no age to start, you can even be doing collage right now, without realizing it, but once you discover it, just enjoy it!